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One of the key factors in the success of labour federations is to have affiliate unions who actively participate and support their work. This article examines the catalysts behind union involvement with central labour bodies and presents an analysis of the organizational motivations for engagement.

the Gallup Poll reported a significant drop in the favorability rating for labor unions among Americans. Fewer than half those polled, 48 percent, approved of labor unions, down from 59 percent in 2008. 1 The rating also represented the lowest level since Gallup began asking as part of its annual Work and Education Survey, "Do you approve or disapprove of labor unions?" in 1936, one year after the passage of the National Labor Relations Act, which granted most private-sector employees in the United States the right to join unions and engage in collective bargaining. In 1936, 72 percent of Americans approved of unions, and only 20 percent disapproved. 2 The approval rating remained between 60 percent and 70 percent until 1979, with a drop to 55 percent in 1979, the previous low level. 3 The poll revealed a sentiment being felt by unionists at the time that the economic downturn had created anger and fear among the public that was at times being directed at union workers.In the United States, this was most noticeable in the dialogue around the hardships facing American automakers and the subsequent government loans to General Motors and Chrysler. It was common to hear news commentators or people on the streets blaming the high wages and Cadillac benefit packages of the UAW-represented autoworkers for the problems of the industry. 4 The less-than-positive public sentiment captured by the 2009 Gallup Poll continued into 2011, as battles over public-sector workers and their rights to collective bargaining developed in a number of states, including Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Florida, and Missouri. A slew of Republican governors introduced legislation that would limit the rights of publicsector employees with the justification that budgetary problems demanded it. The problems were again blamed on workers and their unions.Labor-focused academics and practitioners began to question the root of this shift in public opinion, and at the 2011 United Association for Labor Education Conference, two panels were organized with papers addressing the public's perceptions of labor unions. This special issue presents four of these papers, representing a diversity of approaches to the topic. The authors come from the fields of industrial relations, business, and labor education. Their studies utilize international survey data, intensive case studies, economic data analysis, and pedagogical modeling.Three articles include countries outside the United States and serve to expand our look at public perceptions of unions beyond the U.S. model. Givan and Hipp use the

In recent years, the American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL–CIO) has attempted to spur and support the development of young worker organizations as a way of engaging more young people in the labor movement. One result has been the growth of young worker groups affiliated with local AFL–CIO bodies. This article summarizes the findings of our team of researchers who worked with the AFL–CIO to document and evaluate the most developed of these new young worker organizations. We explore the activities and character of these groups, the distinct contribution that they make to revive the American labor movement, and the challenges they face in continuing to grow and to spur similar groups across the country.

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